For the second year running, AAM were very pleased to once again be a part of this spectacular event which showcases science, health and innovation.
Positioned at a prime spot overlooking the Triton fountain, our stand attracted children and adults alike as we tried to demystify the job of ” the anaesthetist”. With the aid of mannequins we were able to demonstrate what happens to patients under general anaesthesia and how we maintain anaesthesia to allow surgeries and various other procedures to happen. It was an interactive and hands-on experience as children (and some very enthusiastic adults!) had a go at bag-mask ventilation as well as inserting airway adjuncts. Many visitors also took the opportunity to ask questions about anaesthesia as well as relaying their experiences of previous anaesthetics, this made it a very rewarding experience for us as well. Information booklets were available for visitors to take home thereby increasing awareness about what anaesthesia entails, the risks associated with it and helping the general public make more informed decisions should they ever require an anaesthetic in the future.
The second portion of our stand was dedicated to teaching basic life support manoeuvres as part of the “World Restart a Heart Day” initiative. This day happens to fall on the 16th of October which is obviously also our favourite day of the year – World Anaesthesia Day! After giving our visitors a quick introduction as to why this day is so close to our hearts, we proceeded to demonstrate how to try restart a heart by providing good quality bystander chest compression. Visitors were then encouraged to roll up their sleeves and perform chest compressions on our mannequin thereby finding out for themselves how simple yet effective bystander CPR can be!
It was well past midnight when the event came to a close but we were very pleased that our stand attracted a lot of interest throughout the evening. A big thank-you goes out to the AAM committee as well as the anaesthesia trainees who made this evening such a success.
